Button wins in Istanbul

Surprise, surprise! Jenson Button has won the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul, making it six wins out of seven and what is beginning to look like an unassailable lead in the drivers (and constructors) championship.

Contrary to recent form, Button failed by a whisker to take pole position in Q3 qualifying yesterday, having to cede that to Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull. But second is still a good place to start, and Jenson signalled his intentions on the start line by sitting in his Brawn at a slight angle, looking for all the world as if he intended driving straight across Vettel from the start.

That plan didn”t work, but it was Vettel and Button who pulled away from the pack at the start and, on turn nine, Vettel wilted under pressure, went wide and Button took the lead, to drive flawlessly to the end to claim 10 points and first place. Vettel ended up in third with team mate Mark Webber slipping through in to second place.

But it was a poor day for Button’s team mate Rubens Barrichello, who had clutch problems off the grid and ended up near the back of the pack. A coming together later in the race cost Barrichello a stop for a new nose, and the loss of seventh gear meant the first Brawn retirement of the season.

It’s now on to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix in two weeks. Who’d bet against another Button win?